John Nowaczyk

John J. Nowaczyk is a Partner at Milestone Partners, a lower middle-market private equity firm founded in 1995 and based in Radnor, Pennsylvania (suburban Philadelphia). He joined Milestone in 2007 as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, having spent the earlier part of his career in investment banking and brokerage at Kidder, Peabody & Co., PaineWebber, and Legg Mason Wood Walker. He earned a B.A. in Government from Harvard University (class of 1992).

At Milestone, Nowaczyk was promoted to Partner and joined the firm's Investment Committee, moving beyond finance and compliance to lead and structure transactions. According to public position records, he served as a Partner from roughly April 2007 to March 2022 and then transitioned to an Operating Partner role. In these capacities he has sat on the boards of several Milestone portfolio companies, including RedZone Robotics, Martex Fiber, and Blaschak (anthracite coal).

Milestone Partners has closed more than 100 acquisitions, add-ons, and sale transactions since 1995 and manages over $1 billion of committed capital across multiple funds. Its most recent flagship vehicle, Milestone Partners IV, held a final close at $300 million in committed capital — about 25% larger than its predecessor fund, Milestone Partners III. The firm partners with management teams to invest in leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations of niche, high-margin businesses in technology-enabled services and financial solutions.

More recently, Nowaczyk moved into an operating leadership role, becoming Chief Executive Officer of Micropore, Inc. (a Milestone-associated company in Elkton, Maryland that makes CO₂-absorbent products under the ExtendAir and SpiraLith brands for life-support applications). This reflects a shift from firm-level investing/finance toward hands-on portfolio-company leadership, consistent with his Operating Partner designation.

• Invests in control buyouts and recapitalizations of established, profitable lower middle-market companies — not early-stage or seed deals.
• Targets niche, high-margin businesses with "compelling supply/demand dynamics" in technology-enabled services, tech-driven manufacturing, and financial solutions/services.
• Typical company profile: EBITDA of ~$3M–$20M, enterprise value ~$20M–$150M, revenue ~$15M–$150M, with equity checks of roughly $10M–$40M.
• Emphasizes partnering with management teams and active, board-level value creation rather than passive minority stakes — Nowaczyk personally has taken board seats and, latterly, operating (CEO) roles at portfolio companies.
• As a former CFO/CCO turned deal partner, his lens weights financial discipline, transaction structuring, and compliance/governance alongside growth.